Pest control

Fall armyworm

Southern chinch bugs

Two-lined spittlebug

Effective lawn care will go a long way to bolstering your lawn’s natural defenses against grass-chewing insects,but sometimes you’ve got to wage chemical warfare to defend your turf. According to Juang‑Horng ‘JC’ Chong, Ph.D.,a research entomologist at Clemson University, here are the three most destructive insects and how to beat them.

Fall armyworm

These voracious caterpillars appear from June to September. They attack en masse and can consume large areas of turf overnight. Organic insecticides with the active ingredient spinosad are an effective control method. Apply it when the caterpillars are less than one inch long and do not irrigate the lawn for at least 24 hours after application.

Two-lined spittlebug

Over-fertilized centipede grass is most at risk from this close cousin of the aphid. The nymphs feed in the thatch layer causing purplish streaking and yellowing of the grass blade. There are usually two generations: May-June and August-September. Most lawn insecticides work well if applied properly and at the right dosage (follow label directions). The key is to irrigate lightly

after application to flush the insecticides into the thatch.

Southern chinch bugs

The scourge of St. Augustine lawns, chinch bugs attack during hot, dry weather and cause ever-widening dead patches that are often confused with drought damage. To confirm the presence of chinch bugs, cut out both ends of a coffee can and push it 2–3 inches into the edge of a dead zone. Fill the can with water, wait 20 minutes, then count the number of chinch bugs floating on the surface. Twenty or more per square foot means it’s time to go to war. Most common insecticides are effective against chinch bugs.